Improvement in earth-augers



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB MINIGK', OF FLORIS, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENTv IN E ARTH-AUGERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 169,115, dated October26, 1875; application filed September 20, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J ACOB MINIGK, of Floris, county of Davis and Stateof Iowa, h-ave invented certain new and useful Improvements inWell-Angers, of which the following is a specification The nature of myinvention consists in the construction and arrangement of a well-auger,as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, whichforms a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a sideelevation of my auger. Fig. 2 is .a vertical section, and Fig. 3 abottom View, of the same.

A represents the well-auger bucket, made of sheet-iron, ot' anysuitabledimensions, open at 'both ends, and fastened by rivets orotherwise to two parallel wrought-iron bars, B B, placed on oppositesides on the inside ofthe bucket.

v These bars extend a short distance below the lower end of the bucket,and are slotted or forked for a suitable distance from the lower endsupward. In the upper end ofthe slotin each bar B is pivoted abarorshank, C, by means of a bolt, which can be removed when desired.The

lower end of the shank O is bent at an angle and flattened, forming thefoot C', to which the bit D is permanently secured. The normal positionof the shank C is lengthwise in the slot of the bar B, against a stop,a, on the inner side of said bar, and it is prevented from turningoutward by means of a button, b, on theouter side of said bar.

When the bucket has been illed by boring in the ground it is raised inthe usualmanner to be emptied, and placed or held over a box or otherreceptacle. By simply turning they buttons b b upward the weight of thedirt in the bucket will swing the `bits and shanks outward, and thedirtfalls into the box, which is to be removed. As soon as the dirt haspassed out of the bucket the bits and shanks swing back in their properpositions, and are fastened by turning down the buttons b again.

rIhe bits D are constructed as shown in Fig. 3, each closing a littlemore than one-fourth ofy the bottom of the bucket, and the inner ends.cof their cutting-edges d come close t0- gether in the center, thuscutting entirely across the entire diameter of the hole,leaving nothingin the center uncut. i

When the auger is used in quicksand, valves will be hinged to the rearedges of the bits, and fall over the cutting-edges, so as to lclosetheentire bottom.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to-secure by Letters Patent, is-

' l. In a well-auger, the bits D D, constructed as described, with theinner ends fc of their cutting-edges meeting in the center, for thepurposes herein set forth.

2. The bit shanks G, pivoted at their upper ends in the slotted bars B,in combination with the stops a and buttons b, substantially as and forthe purposes herein set forth.

3. The combination of the bucket A, slotted bars B B, pivoted shanks OG, with feet O C .and bits D D, the stops a, and buttons b, all

constructed substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claimvthe foregoing as my invention, I hereuntoaffix my signature this 28th day of August, 1875.

. JACOB MINIGK. Witnesses:

L. S. HARWARD, D. W. HASTINGS.

